Multilevel building with stairway



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MULTILEVEL BUILDING WITH STAIRWAY Original Filed Dec. 28, 1961 Sheet 7 of 10 INVENTOR. CoQA/EL l6 VAN DEA [E4 P Wald Wm zgl OPTIC Jan. 21, 1969 c, VAN DER LELY 3,422,582

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MULTILEVEL BUILDING WITH STAIRWAY Original Filed Dec. 28, 1961 Sheet 9 of 10 INVENTOR. Conn/1. 1s wwase Z54? Jan. 21, 1969 c. VAN DER LELY 3,422,582

MULTILEVEL BUILDING WITH STAIRWAY Original Filed D80. 28, 1961 Sheet /0 0f 10 DD LUQJ DU [Ill] [1E] DU I v E3 [3 1:1 I: 51E] [1 m U U E c: I: I: :1 I

y I 273 l F7920 1 f 277 275 272 276 26; m .569 27a INVENTOR- c omvc'us VAN DEA [54v United States Patent 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A prefabricated building of at least two stories assembled from box-shaped sections with a stairway in one end in a lower story and a staircase opening to cooperate with the stairway in the section above, the section above having a bathroom and carrying the interior walls which separate areas there-in (at predetermined locations) from living areas in adjacent sections, such adjacent sections including windows on their opposite sides whereby none of these sections have a center of gravity which is substantially offset from its longitudinal center line and the said bathroom is surrounded by walls which are part of the same section so that a leakage or seepage of water therefrom is less likely than were its walls included in the adjacent sections. A multi-level building, having elongated box-shaped sections, the sections of each particular story being parallel to each other but perpendicular to the sections of the adjacent upper and lower story. A framework for a section of a prefabricated building, such framework having in its upper portion a major supporting beam which is utilized for support of lower transverse beams between their corners, the section thereby having its effective support disposed in the corner beams. A roof connection between two adjoining prefabricated box-shaped sections, wherein the sections are of such configuration that a horizontal slot is provided between them at their tops, sealing material filling the slot, a strip extending from the roof of one of the sections disposed over such sealing material and overlapping the roof edge of the adjacent section. Vertical beams of the framework of prefabricated box-shaped sections having longitudinal interior and exterior extensions which extend relatively close together when the sections are adjacent with a vertically disposed sealing member being received between the adjacent interior extensions and insulating material on the Outside of the adjacent sections clamped between the exterior sections.

This application is a continuation of application 162,- 833, filed Dec. 28, 1961, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a building having one or more stories, each of which has at least one room. Such a building may be a dwelling house, oflice or the like.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a building having at least one story which comprises one or more rooms, the story being assembled from one or more prefabricated, box-shaped sections, which enclose at least part of a room and are provided during the prefabrication process with walls, at least one of which is provided with a covering layer having a loose strip on the side of the section which is in contact with a further section, which strip can be arranged over and across the edge of the other section during the assembly of the sections.

Thus a satisfactory, sealed connection of the sections is obtained, which can be readily achieved during the mounting operation.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a building having at least one story which com- 3,422,582 Patented Jan. 21, 1969 ICC prises one or more rooms, the story being assembled from a number of prefabricated, box-shaped sections which enclose at least part of one or more rooms and have at least one wall, whereas at least one of walls of the joined sections is provided at the junction with at least one exension arranged with respect to the other wall or to an extension of the other wall so that when these sections are mounted, a sealing member can be arranged between this extension and the wall or between these extensions. There will thus not be formed any seams or crevices between the adjacent sections of the building, whereby the sections can be readily mounted.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a building having at least one story, the story comprising one or more rooms and being assembled from a number of prefabricated, box-shaped sections enclosing at least part of a room, while the walls of two elements, forming the outer walls of the building, are provided with covering sheets or covering layers, the joined sides of which are each provided with an extension, which extensions are located in the proximity of each other and are covered by a sealing member. Thus a satisfactory waterproof seal between the sections is obtained, Which seal can be readily achieved during the mounting operation.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a building having at least one story which comprises one or more rooms and which is assembled from a number of prefabricated, box-shaped sections enclosing at least part of a room. The walls of these sections, which form at least parts of fronts of the building, are provided with profiled sheets, while the sheet of one section has a profile which is at right-angles to the profile of a section arranged at the side of the former.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a building having at least one story which comprises one or more rooms, the story being assembled from one or more prefabricated, box-shaped sections which enclose at least part of a room and have a frame of beams which constitute supporting structure for the section; one such section having a first side forming all or part of the ceiling and a second side forming all or part of the floor of the respective story, said first side having fixed to a supporting beam thereof at least one downwardly extending supporting member on which said second side is suspended.

A building when assembled in this manner, may be lightweight and resistant to distortion.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a building having at least one story which comprises one or more rooms, the story being assembled from one or more prefabricated box-shaped sections which enclose at least part of a room, wherein all or part of the upper side of at least one section is inclined to the horizontal to form all or part of a roof for the building.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a building having at least two stories, each of which comprises one or more rooms and is assembled from a number of prefabricated, box-shaped sections, one of which comprises an opening for communication with a staircase, a passage, a bathroom and at least part of a bedroom.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a building having at least three stories, each of which comprises one or more rooms and is assembled from two or more prefabricated, box-shaped sections; one section of the bottom story accommodating a first staircase communicating with the second story, a second staircase, communicating with the third story, being accommodated in a section of the second story located immediately above said one section.

According to a ninth aspect of the invention there is provided a building having at least two stories, each of which comprises one or more rooms, the building being assembled from a number of prefabricated, box-shaped sections, each of which encloses all or part of a room and is, as seen in plan, oblong in shape, there being one or more sections constituting a lower story, the arrangement of the sections being such that the longitudinal directions of the sections constituting a story above said lower story, are transverse to the longitudinal directions of the sections constituting said lower story.

In this way it is possible to arrange the prefabricated sections so as to provide a desired and effective arrangement of rooms in a building. In the simplest case, the longitudinal directions of the sections constituting an upper story are at right-angles to the longitudinal directions of the sections constituting the story below such upper story.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a two-story building,

FIGURE '2 is a section plan of the ground floor of the building shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional plan of the upper floor of the building shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, but showing diagrammatically the structure of the framework of the building,

FIGURE 5 shows, on an enlarged scale, a sectional view of two adjacent sections, taken on the line V-V in FIGURE 4,

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the roof gutter of the building shown in FIGURE 1, taken on the line VIVI in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 7 shows on an enlarged scale a sectional view of a corner of adjacent inner walls, which corner is indicated in FIGURE 3 by the arrow VII,

FIGURE 8 shows on an enlarged scale a horizontal sectional View of two sides of two adjacent sections forming a front of the house, taken on the line VII-VII in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view of part of two walls associated with a front of the house and with sections lying one above the other, taken on the line IXIX in FIGURE FIGURE 10 shows on an enlarged scale a sectional view of part of the facade of the house shown in FIGURE 1, taken on the line XX in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 11 is, on a further enlarged scale, a sectional view of a further detail taken on the line XIXI in FIGURE 4,

FIGURE 12 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line XII-XII in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 13 is, on an enlarged scale, a sectional view of a detail taken on the line XIII-XIII in FIGURE 4,

FIGURE 14 is a diagrammatic cross-section of a threestory building,

FIGURE 15 is a view similar to FIGURE 4, but showing a modification, and

FIGURES 16 and 17 are sectional plans of the ground floor and upper floor, respectively, of the building shown in FIGURE 15,

FIGURE 18 is a front elevation of a pair of semidetached buildings,

FIGURE 19 is an end elevation of the buildings shown in FIGURE 18, as seen in the direction of arrow XIX in FIGURE 18.

FIGURE 20 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the buildings shown in FIGURES 18 and 19, taken on the line XX-XX in FIGURE 18, and

FIGURE 21 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the building shown in FIGURES 18 to 20, taken on the line XXIXXI in FIGURE 19.

Description of the preferred embodiments The building shown in FIGURES 1 to 8 is in the form of a two-story dwelling house. As shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, the lower story is made up of three prefabn'cated sections 1, 2 and 3, and the upper story is made up of three further sections 4, 5 and 6. The ground floor shown in FIGURE 2 comprises a living room 7, a kitchen 8, a passage 9, a toilet 12 and cupboards 13 and 14A. The living room 7 extends from the front to the back of the house over the combined width of the three sections 1, 2 and 3. The back and front walls of the house have doors 10 and 11, opening into the kitchen 8 and the passage 9, respectively. The kitchen 8 is formed by a part of the section 3 and the passage 9 is formed by a part of each of the sections 1 and 2. Also in the section 1, next to the passage 9, is the toilet 12 and cupboard 13. A staircase 14 leads to the upper story of the house from the passage 9 and is entirely accommodated in the section 2. The cupboard 14A is disposed beneath the staircase 14.

The upper story shown in FIGURE 3 comprises two bedrooms 17 and 18 accommodated entirely within the section 4, a bedroom 15 accommodated entirely within the section 6, and a bedroom 16 extending across the combined width of the two adjacent sections 5 and 6. The upper story also comprises a bathroom 19 and a passage 21), and an opening which communicates with the upper end of the staircase 14. The passage 20 is provided with doors which open into the bedrooms and the bathroom.

Each section of the house is entirely prefabricated and comprises a beam frame to which are secured parts of the inner and outer walls of the house. Thus the frame constitutes the supporting structure of the section.

Referring now to FIGURE 4, the frame of the section 1 includes a horizontal rectangular framework of beams 21, 22, 23 and 24, the beams 21 and 22 being approximately 2 /2 times the length of the beams 23 and 24. Beams 25 and 26 interconnect the longer beams 21 and 22 and are parallel to the beams 23 and 24. From the corners of the rectangular framework, vertical frame beams in the form of circular-section tubes 27, 28, 29 and 30, extend upwardly. The upper ends of the tubes 27 to 30 are interconnected by a second horizontal rectangular framework comprising beams 31, 32, 33 and 34, which are parallel to, and spaced vertically from the beams 21, 22, 24 and 23, respectively. A further beam 35 interconnects the two longer beams 31 and 32, the beam 35 being parallel to the beams 33 and 34. A vertical tube 36 extends between the beams 21 and 31, the tube being connected to the beam 21 near one end of the beam 25. A similar tube 37, which is shown broken away in FIG- URE 4, extends between the beams 22 and 32 near the other end of the beam 25. The diameter of the tubes 36 and 37 is less than that of the tubes 27 to 30. It will be seen that the beams and tubes 21 to 37 form a boxlike structure, and that they constitute the frame of the section 1.

The constructions of the sections 2 and 3 are similar to that of the section 1, and these further sections are therefore not shown in their entirety in FIGURE 4. It will be seen from FIGURE 2, however, that the sections 2 and 3 also have vertical, circular-section tubes constituting part of their frames. Considering the section 2, FIG- URE 4 shows a beam 22A lying alongside and contacting the beam 22. There are also shown beams which are aligned with the beams 23, 24, 25 and 26, respectively, of the section 1. Vertical circular-section tubes 28A, 30A and 37A are disposed beside the tubes 28, 30 and 37, respectively, and beams 33A and 34A are aligned with the beams 33 and 34, respectively.

In the upper story, the section 4 lies directly above the section 1. The section 4 has a horizontal rectangular framework on its lower side consisting of beams 38, 39, 40 and 41 which rest on the corresponding beams 31, 32, 33, and 34 of the section 1. A further beam 42, corresponding to the beam 35, interconnects the two longer sides 38 and 39 of the rectangular framework. Vertical, circular-section supporting tubes 43, 44, 45 and 46 extend from the corners of the rectangular framework, and their upper ends are interconnected by a further horizontal rectangular framework consisting of 'beams 47, 48, 49 and 50. The beam 48 is angle-sectioned and is connected by a latticework structure 53 to a beam 54 lying vertically above the beam 48. Inclined beams, supported by the beams 47 and 54, are located vertically above the beams 49 and 50, respectively. Vertical, circular-section tubes 51 and 52 (the latter being broken away in the figure) extend between the beams 38, 47, and 39, 48, respectively, the tubes being of smaller cross-section than the tubes 43 to 46.

The section 5 is similar to the section 4, and has a lower rectangular framework (which is broken away in FIGURE 4), the framework having two shorter sides formed by beams 56 and 57 and two longer sides, one of which is formed by a beam 55 contacting the beam 39 of the section 4. This lower rectangular framework of the section 5 rests on the upper framework of the section 2. As with the other sections, vertical tubes 58, '59, 60 and 61 are fixed to the corners of the rectangle (see FIG- URE 3). The upper ends of the tubes are interconnected by a further rectangular framework consisting of beams 63 and 64, parallel to the beams 56 and 57, and composite latticework girders 62 and 65. These latticework girders are each of the same construction as the composite girder of the section 4 formed by the beams 48 and 54 and the latticework struts 53. Two vertical tubes 66 and 67 are arranged between the upper and lower rectangles of the section 5 (see FIGURE 3). Two further tubes 68 and 69 extend between the shorter sides of the two rectangles, and project upwardly from the upper rectangle. These upward projections constitute king posts for the support of a ridge-piece 190. It will be seen that at each end of the building the composite beams like the beam 6349 constitute the tie-beams of the building. The principal rafters of the building wlil be described hereinafter.

The section 6, which rests on the section 3, is constructed in substantially the same manner as the section 4.

The sections 1 and 3 have longer sides constituting the lower halves of the front and back walls, respectively, of the building. As shown in FIGURE 4 for the section 1, these longer sides have latticework girders extending between the tubes such as 29 and 36, the space between the tubes such as 27 and 36 not being provided with girders due to the provision of the doors and 11. Similarly, the sections 4 and 6 have longer sides constituting the upper halves of the front and back walls, respectively. These longer sides also have latticework girders, as is shown for the section 4. These girders are formed by horizontal beams 71 and 72 extending between the tubes such as 45 and 51, and 43 and 51. Struts 73 are arranged between the beams 71 and 72 and the beam 38. The frames of the sections 1 to 6 are completely prefabricated, and the walls constituting the front, back and sides of the building are arranged on these frames during this prefabrication, preferably with the windows or the doors or both already arranged therein. For example, the section 1 has a wall 154 forming the lower half of the front wall of the building, this wall being arranged in the section during the prefabrication thereof. Parts 174 and 175 of the side walls of the building, and inside walls 176 and 177, are also incorporated in the section during prefabrication, the inside Walls preferably being completely finished at this stage. The door 11, and Windows 167 and 178 are preferably also positioned in the wall 154 during prefabrication. Thus the building can be rapidly built from the completed prefabricated sections which can be finished in the workshop and merely assembled after transport to the building site.

The roof of the house is formed by the top walls of the sections 4, 5 and 6. To this end the top sides of the elements, as is shown in FIG. 5 partly for the sections 4 and 5, are provided with roof-boards, the section 4 being provided with boards secured to the beams 47 and 54. The boards '74, as is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, may be secured to wooden girders 75 and 95, fastened to the beams 47 and 54. The top walls of the sections 4, 5 and 6 are constructed so that a roof sloping from the center towards the fronts is formed. The boards 74 are fastened by screws 76 (FIG. 5) to the beam 54. The boards 74 may be formed so that they need no further support between the beams 47 and 54. The boards 74 are covered on the top side by water-proof roofing material, shown partly in FIG. 5. The section 4 is provided on the boards 74 with a foil 77, to which a second layer 78 is applied for a further stiffening and sealing of the roofing. The foil 77 may be made of plastics, whereas the layer 78 may be formed from synthetic material. The foil 77 is provided on the side near the beam 54 with an overhanging strip 79. This strip 79 extends along a bevelled rim 8%, which is formed at the ends of the boards 74, and a rim of the beam 54. Across the last-mentioned part the strip 79 of the foil 77 hangs perpendicularly down and extends along the side 81 of the beam 54. The foil 77 is applied to the section during the prefabrication, for example by adhesion. The covering layer 78 is also fastened to the section during the prefabrication, for example by adhesion. However, a strip 82 of this layer is not stuck to the section near the side of the section along the beam 54 over a width 83. This unfastened strip 82 can be arranged across the edge of the section 5, which is mounted adjacent the element 4, as is illustrated in FIG. 5. The section 5 is provided on the top side with boards 84, one end of which bears on a wooden girder 85, arranged on the framework 65. The boards 84 are covered by a foil 86, to which a second foil or covering layer 87 is applied. The strip 88 of the foil 86 extends along a slanting side 89, formed by one end of the boards 84 and one side of the beam 85. The strip 88 of the foil 86 extends furthermore along one limb of the angle iron 90, fastened to the top side of the framework 65. The foil 86 is applied during the prefabrication process to the boards 84, the beam 85 and the angle iron 90. The covering layer 87 is stuck to the foil 86, but a strip 91 thereof is not stuck to the section over a width 92 during the prefabrication, so that this strip can be fastened during the assembly of the sections, as is shown in FIG. 5.

During the mounting operation the sections are clamped to each other by means of bolts. The top sides of the sections 4 and 5, as is shown in FIG. 5, are clamped together by means of bolts 93. Parts of the strips 79 and 89 of the foils 77 and 86 are clamped between the angle irons 54 and 90. Since the strips 79 and 89 extend partly along the slanting sides 88 and 89, a V-shaped space 94 is formed, which is filled with a Waterproof filling material, for example bitumen. The strips 82 and 91 of the covering layers 77 and 86 are arranged one on the other as is shown in FIG. 5, the strip 82 being applied to the foil 86 of the section 5 and the filler is stuck in the space 94, whereas the strip 91 of the covering layer 87 is arranged on the strip 82 of the covering layer 78.

From FIGURE 6 it will be seen that the boards 74 can be fastened at their ends near the beam 47 to a wooden girder 95, arranged above the beam 47. The foil 77 is bent with a strip 96 around the edge of the beam near the beam 47. The covering layer 78 has a strip 97 on the side of the facade, which strip is not stuck to the section during the prefabrication over a width 98, so that during the mounting operation the roof gutter 99 can be arranged underneath the strip 98 and a satisfactory seal is ensured. The gutter 99 is arranged at the section concerned during the assembly. The gutter 99 is fastened to gutter supports 100, which are provided on the roof portions 74 below the covering layer 78 and above the foil 77. The gutter 99 is supported on the outer side from a girder 101, lying between the gutter supports 100, parallel to the beam 47, around which girder the rim 99A of the gutter 99 is bent. The gutter 99 with the girder 101 and the supports 1% can also be prefabricated, so that during mounting the gutter need only be arranged at its place near the edge of the roof on the sections. The prefabricated gutter portions will preferably have a length equal to the length of a section.

The connection of the inner walls of the various sections is shown in detail in FIG. 7. From this figure it will be seen that an inner wall 182 of the section 6 is in contact with two orthogonal inner walls 103 and 104 of the section 5. At the corner of the adjacent walls 103 and 104 of the section provision is made of the tube 67 and at the end of the inner wall 102 of the section 6 provision is made of a tube 105, which connects a beam of the lower side of this section 6 with a beam on the top side thereof, similar to the tube 67 of the section 5. The wall 103 of the section 5, which by example may consist of bricks, is provided on each side with a plaster coating 186 and the wall 101 has a plaster coating 107 on each side. The wall 182 of the section 6 has, on each side, a plaster coating 108. The tubes '67 and 105 are provided on their facing sides with extensions 109 and 118, 111 and 112, respectively, which are formed by strips, which extend throughout the length of the tubes. The extensions 109 and 110 are radial to the center line of the tube 67 and the extensions 111 and 112 are radial to the center line of the tube 105. These extensions extend towards the outer sides of the walls 103 and 164, 182, respectively and are arranged so that i the extensions 109 and 111 are transverse to each other, i.e. at an angle of approximately 90, and the extensions 110 and 112 are also transverse to each other at an angle of 90. Between the extensions 1G9 and 111 provision is made of a closing strip 113 and between the extensions 110 and 112 is arranged a closing strip 114. The closing strips 113 and 114 extend throughout the length of the engaging wall portions and are preferably made from resilient material, for example rubber or plastics. The closing strip 113 has, in a horizontal sectional area, a thicker, slightly cylindrical portion 115, which is in contact via a narrow portion 116, with two extensions 117 and 118. The extensions 109 and 110 surround the strip 113, since the portion 115 is located on the inner side of these extensions and the extensions 117 and 118 are arranged on the outer side of these extensions and extend along the walls 102 and 103. The strip 114 has, in a horizontal section, two substantially cylindrical portions 119 and 120, between which a narrow portion 121 is provided. The narrow portion 121 is arranged between the ends of the extensions 110 and 112, when the sections 5 and 6 are mounted, with the thick portion 119 being arranged on one side of the extensions 110 and 112 and the thick portion 120 arranged on the other side thereof. The strip 114 is also made from resilient material, so that it can be effectively clamped in between the extensions 110 and 112. The connection of the inner walls of various sections can thus be finished effectively without the risk of seams being formed between the joined portions of the inner walls.

The walls of the sections forming an outer wall of the house are joined as is shown for two walls of the sections 4 and 5 in FIG. 8. The section 4 has a wall 122, which forms part of the side front of the house and is covered on the outer side by covering means shown in FIG. 3 only diagrammatically. The wall 122 has a portion 122A, which is preferably made from light bricks. To the outer side of the wall 122A is applied a covering layer 123, which may be made from rubber or other waterarresting material. To the covering layer 123 is applied a sheet 124 having a corrugated profile, the corrugations of which are horizontal (FIG. 1).

The section 5 has a wall 125, forming part of the side wall of the house, and having an inner wall 126 joined to it. The wall 125 is provided on the outer side with a covering layer 127, which may be made from rubber or other waterproof material, like the covering layer 123. The wall is covered on the outer side by a sheet 128, having a corrugated profile, the corrugations of which are vertical. The walls 122A and 125 will be completely finished during the prefabrication, which for the inner side of the walls is not shown in the drawings. The sheet 124- is provided, on the side engaging the sheet 128, with a strip 129 which is bent over in its direction of width and has a limb 129A, which is parallel to the wall 122. The limb 129A merges in a limb 139', which is at right angles to the wall 122 and is bent over to form a portion 131, which is again parallel to the wall 122, but shorter than the limb 129A. The sheet 128 is provided, on the side engaging the sheet 124, with a strip 132, which is formed in the same manner as the strip 128, so that it has a limb 133, a limb 134 and a bent-over portion 135. The sheet 128 is provided, near the side engaging the sheet 124, with a rim 136, at rightangles to the wall 125, at which rim lies the limb 134 of the strip 132. On the bent-over portions 131 and is provided a covering strip 135A which is provided with bent-over portions 1358 and 135C, which fit around the portions 132 and 135, so that penetration of water between the strips 128 and 132 is avoided and the strips are held one against the other. The limbs 129A and 133 of the strips 128 and 132 hold the sheets 124 and 128 at a given distance from the walls 122 and 125, so that between the covering layers 123 and 127 and the sheets 124 and 128 a space is left, which may have an insulating effect. The walls of the sections 4 and 5, engaging the tubes, are joined to each other by means of extensions 137 and 138, and 139 and 148, provided on the tubes 44 and 58, respectively. The extensions 138 and 140 are orientated towards the outer sides of the sections and arranged so that the rims 141 and 142 of the covering layers 123 and 127 are bent around them at right angles. The rims 141 and 142, like the extensions 138 and 140, extend parallel to each other and are clamped to each other. Between the extensions 137 and 139 provision is made of a closing strip 143, which has, in a sectional view in horizontal direction, two thickened portions 144 and 145 and is arranged so that the extensions 137 and 139 are in contact with a narrow portion between the portions 144 and 145, so that the strip 143 is enclosed between these extensions. In the manner shown in FIG. 8 the strip 143, the interengaging rims 141 and 142 and the interengaging strips 129 and 132 provide a satisfactory seal between the vertical edges of two adjacent walls of the sections.

The junction between two sections lying one above the other is shown in detail in FIG. 9 for the sections 2 and 5. The lower side of the sheet 128 of the section 5 is in contact with the top side of a sheet 146, arranged along the outer side of a wall 147 of the section 2. The wall 147 is provided on the outer side, and inside of the sheet 146 with a rubber or plastics covering layer 148, which also extends along the beam 33A. The sheet 146 is provided with a corrugated profile, the corrugations of which are horizontal. On the top side the sheet 146 has a rim 149, which is at right-angles to the wall 147. In order to ensure a satisfactory seal a strip 158 is pro vided between the sheet 128 and the sheet 146, which strip has three portions 151, 152 and 153. The portions 151, and 153 are parallel to each other and to the walls 122 and 147 of the sections 5 and 2, respectively, whereas the portions 152 is at right-angles to the portions 151 and 153. The portion 151 is located at the lower end of the sheet 128 behind this sheet and in front of the covering layer 166, whereas the portion 153 extends over the extension 149 of the sheet 146 and merges in the portion 158, which hangs down along the outer side of the sheet 146. Thus the strip 150 ensures a satisfactory seal between the sections arranged one on the other.

The fronts of the house are preferably made mainly from two plates, arranged at a given distance from each other and having insulating material arranged between them. FIG. 10' shows part of the facade of the house, consisting of a wall portion 154, arranged on the section 1, and a wall portion 155, arranged on the section 4. The wall portion 155 of the section 4 has two sheets 156 and 157, of which the plate 157 is located on the outer side and the sheet 156 on the inner side. The sheet 157 is fastened to the beams 71 and 38. The sheet 156 is fastened to a wooden beam 156B, arranged on the beam 38 and on the top side to a wooden strip 156B, provided on the lower side of the beam 71. Between the sheets 156 and 157 provision is made of sheets of insulating material 158, to which the tubes 73 may be utilized to hold these sheets between the sheets 156 and 157. Above the beam 71 provision is made of a Window frame 159, having a window pane 160. Between the the window frame 159 and the beam 71 a sealing strip 161 is fastened for preventing the penetration of water, which strip is provided with one end 162, hanging down across the outer side of the sheet 157, and with an end 163, which extends upwards behind the window frame 159 and is in contact with the lower side of a window sill 159A, provided on the window frame 159. The top portion of the wall 154 consists of two sheets 164 and 165, of which the sheet 165 is located on the outer side and the sheet 164 on the inner side of the wall. The sheet 165 is fastened to the beam 31 and to a wooden beam 166, arranged on the lower side of the beam 31, to which also the sheet 164 is fastened. A window frame 167, having window panes 168, is arranged at a short distance from the lower side of the beam 166. Also between the beam 164 and the window frame 167 provision may be made of insulating material. Between the sheets 157 and 165 provision is made of a strip 169, which has a rim 170 hanging down on the outer side of the sheet 165 and an upward rim 171, located behind the sheet 157. The sheet 156 is in contact at the lower rim with a floor 172 provided on the lower side of the section 4, whereas the sheet 164 is in contact at the top side with a ceiling 173, provided in the top side of the section 3.

The building according to the invention, which is a dwelling in this embodiment, is composed of completely prefabricated sections, which need only be secured to each other. The connecting means described above to be provided between the various sections permit of assembling the building rapidly, while use is made of sections manufactured in a factory hall, independently of weather conditions. The latticework girder, consisting of the beams 48 and 54, and the struts 53, and the latticework girder 65, consisting of the beams 90 and 179 and the struts 180 (FIGS. and 11), are bolted to each other by bolts 93 and 181. It will be noted from the figure that the struts 53 and 180 are each in the form of angle-section bars. On joining the beams 54 and 90 together by the bolts 93, the edges of the layers 77 and 86 of the waterproof covering are clamped between these beams. This ensures that the layers 77 and 86 are securely held. The vertical limbs of the beams 48 and 179 are therefore spaced from one another by the thickness of the two layers, and in order to ensure the correct spacing, strips 182 and 183 are secured along the lengths of the facing sides of the vertical limbs of the beams 48 and 179. Alternatively, short lengths of material may be arranged at spaced intervals along such facing sides, the material being arranged around each hole through which the bolts are passed.

The upper story has a ceiling formed preferably from soft ceiling boards 184, the ceiling being secured to the lower sides of the upper rectangular framework of the sections 4, 5 and 6. From FIGURE 11 it will be noted that wooden joists 185 are secured to the horizontal limbs of the angle-section beams 48 and 179, these joists being secured at their other ends to respective beams, such as 47 in the section 4. The joists extend in parallel relationship with the shorter sides of the sections. For the sake of clarity, the joists are not shown in FIGURE 4. A floor 186 is secured to the joists, so that the space between the joists and the roof may be used as a storage space.

The connection between the lower sides of two adjacent sections of the upper story, and the upper sides of two adjacent sections of the lower story is shown in detail in FIGURE 12. This figure shows the connection between the sections 1, 2, 4 and 5. The beam 35 of the section 1, and a corresponding beam 35A of the section 2, are channel-section, as are the beams 38, 39, 40, and 41 of the section 4 and the beams 55, 56, and 57 of the section 5. The beam 32 of the section 1 and a corresponding beam 32A of the section 2, which beams have been drawn in FIG. 4 only diagrammatically, are of anglesection, having horizontal and vertical limbs. The vertical limbs of the beams 32 and 32A lie in contact with one another and between the beams 39 and 55, the former of which forms one longer side of the lower framework of the section 4 and the latter of which forms the adjacent, similar side of the section 5. The beams 39, 32, 32A and 55 are clamped together with the aid of bolts 187.

Ceiling portions 188, formed by soft board sheets, are fixed to the beams forming the upper frameworks of the sections 1, 2 and 3. The beams forming the lower frameworks of the sections 4, 5 and 6 have floor boards 189 resting thereon.

Referring to FIG. 13 the ridge of the roof is constituted by a ridge-piece 190 to which roof-boards 84 are fastened by nails 191. The layers 86 and 87 are continuous over the ridge of the roof, whereby the ridge is maintained watertight. The ridge beam 190 rests on seats 192 fastened to the upper ends of the tubes 68 and 69.

The sections 4, 5 and 6, are so constructed that the beams constituting the upper sides thereof take up a large part of the load exerted on such sections and transfer this load to the upper beams in the side walls of the building. Thus the lower, horizontal, longer beams of the sections 4, 5 and 6 are not required to have a massive structure such that they can support throughout their lengths the load exerted thereon and transfer such load to the ends of the sections. The beams 38 and 39 of the section 4, for example, are in part supported by the vertical tubes 51 and 52 which are connected to the upper beams 47 and 48. The beams 47 and 48 therefore carry at least part of the load applied to the beams 38 and 39. The beams 38 and 39 are thereby supported not only at their ends, but also intermediate their ends by the tubes 51 and 52. The actual unsupported spans of the beams 38 and 39 are considerably less than the overall lengths thereof, so that the weight of these beams may be reduced. Thus the tubes 51 and 52 constitute supporting members for the lower horizontal beams 38 and 39 of the section 4. The beams on the upper sides of the sections, i.e. those beams which have to carry the load applied to the lower beams, are preferably constructed in the form of latticework girders, such as the girders 62 and 65, so that they are capable of resisting large bending moments Without the necessity for the provision of a massive, heavy structure. These upper beams constitute supporting beams for the lower beams. Since the building has a sloping roof, the space between the roof and the ceiling of the upper story can be effectively utilized for the accommodation of latticework girders, or other complex beams, having a relatively large section and great height, whereby the loads exerted thereon are resisted without bending. Such loads are ultimately taken up by the beams in the side walls of the building, e.g. the beams 49 and 50, and 43 and 44 in the section 4. The upper, longer beams of the lower sections, for example, the beams 31 and 32 of the section 1, are not required to carry great loads since they support only the ceiling of the lower story, so that these beams may also be of relatively small 11 section. A strong structure is in this manner provided while at the same time the prefabricated sections are of relatively light weight.

As described above the ridge-piece 190 of the section is supported by the tubes 68 and 69, which thus form second supporting members. These supporting members are secured to the beams 56 and 57 which transfer the load directly to the lower section 2. Alternatively, the ridge beam may be supported on a member which is fixed to a lower supporting beam, which is in turn connected by tubes to the upper framework of the section, for example to the beams 65 and 62. Such a lower supporting beam may be, for example, a beam parallel to the beams 56 and 57 and fixed to the beam 55 and to the corresponding beam of the opposite side of the rectangle. This supporting beam would therefore be of the same nature as for example the beam 42 in the section 4, which beam is connected at its ends by the tubes 51 and 52 to the upper beams 47 and 48 of that section. In this way the ridge beam need not be made of the same length as the section in which it is incorporated.

FIGURES 1 to 13 illustrate a dwelling house having two stories, but the prefabricated sections described above may also be used for buildings having more than two stories. FIGURE 14 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a three-story dwelling house, the cross-section being taken through the center of the house parallel to the front and back walls thereof. Three prefabricated sections 193, 194 and 195 are arranged one above the other, the sections 193 and 194 corresponding to the sections 2 and 5 of the first house, shown in FIGURES 1 to 13. Each of the three stories of the second house, shown in FIG- URE 14, may be composed of three sections arranged side-by-side as is shown in FIGURE 1 for the first house. The arrangement of the ground floor of the house may be the same as that of the first house. Thus the second house has a living room 196, passage 197 and a staircase 198. Similarly, the arrangement of the second story may be approximately the same as that of the second story of the first house. Thus the second floor has a bedroom 199, a bathroom 200, a corridor 201 and a staircase 202. It will be seen that the second floor of this house differs from the second floor of the house shown in FIGURES 1 to 8 in that a staircase 202 is provided, this staircase being of the same construction as the staircase 198. The staircases 198 and 202 are arranged one above the other, the latter staircase giving access to the third story of the house. This third story has a bedroom 203, a room 204 and a passage 205.

The construction of the sections 193, 194 and 195, and the other sections of the three story house, are the same as, or similar to, the construction of the sections 1 to 6 of the first house. Thus the sections of the top story may be constructed in the same manner as the sections 4, 5 and 6, the floor thereof being supported at least partly by the beams constituting the upper parts of the sections. The sections constituting the second story may be constructed in an identical manner to the sections 1, 2 and 3. The lower beams of these second floor sections transfer the loads thereon directly to the beams at the side of the house in the ground floor sections.

If the house has more than three stories, for example four stories, the floor of the second story may be arranged so that the load thereon is supported by the upper beams of the sections forming such second story, in the same manner as the third story of the house shown in FIGURE 14. The third story may then be arranged in the same way as the first story of the above-described houses, whereas the fourth story of this house is the same as the second story thereof.

Referring now to FIGURES 15, 16 and 17, there is shown a third house assembled from prefabricated sections. This third house also has two stories, the lower story being composed of three sections 206, 207 and 208, and the upper story being formed from three sections 209, 210 and 211. The sections forming the ground floor are, as is shown in sectional plan in FIGURE 16, formed in the same manner as the sections forming the ground fioor of the first house. As shown in FIGURE 16, the ground floor has a living room 212, a kitchen 213, a hallway 214, a toilet 215, a cupboard 216 and a staircase 217. The upper story is, however, arranged in a different manner from that of the upper story of the first house.

As shown in sectional plan in FIGURE 17, the upper story has three bedrooms 218, 219 and 220 and a bathroom 221, all of which communicate with a passage 222 which is accestible from the staircase 217. Closets 224 and 225 are provided in the bedroom 218, a closet 226 is provided in the bedroom 219, and a cupboard 227 may be reached from the passage 222.

The sections 206, 207 and 208 of the ground floor extend along the length of the house, in the same manner as the sections 1, 2 and 3 of the first house. The sections 209, 210 and 211 are not, however, arranged parallel to the sections 206, 207 and 208, but are arranged across the width of the house. Thus the sections 206, 207 and 208 are at right-angles to the sections 209, 210 and 211. The ground floor sections 206, 207 and 208 are substantially identical to the sections 1, 2 and 3 of the first house, and are therefore not fully described. The section 206 for example has a lower rectangular framework including beams 263, 264 and 265', and an upper rectangular framework including a beam 254; there being vertical tubes such as 259, 260 and 261 extending between these two frameworks. The construction of the sections constituting the upper floor is, in principle, identical to that of the sections 4, 5 and 6 of the first house, the lower rectangular frameworks of these sections 209, 210 and 211 being arranged so that the load thereon is taken up at least partly by the upper beams of these sections.

As shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 15, the section 209 has two longer beams 228 and 229 and two shorter beams 230 and 231, so that a lower, horizontal rectangular framework is produced. Equidistantly spaced beams 232 and 233 are disposed intermediate the beam 230 and 231 and parallel thereto. Vertical beams in the form of circular-section tubes 234, 235, 236 and 237 are arranged at the four corners of the rectangular framework. The upper ends of the tubes are joined by a second rectangular framework consisting of beams 238, 239, 240 and 241. The beams 238 and 239 are parallel to and vertically above the beams 228 and 229, and the beams 240 and 241 are parallel to and above the beams 230 and 231. Each of the beams 238 and 239 is a composite beam. The beam 238 comprises a horizontal tie-beam 242 and two slanting beams 243 and 244, constituting the principal rafters of that part of the house. Between the beams 244 and 243, and the beam 242, struts 245 are arranged to produce a composite lattice-work beam. It will be seen from FIGURE 15 that the beam 239 is constructed in an identical manner. Ridge-pieces 246 and 247 join the upper apices of the triangular latticework formed by the beams 238 and 239. Further tubes 248 and 249 are interposed between the beams 228 and 238, the tubes being connected near the ends of the beams 232 and 233, respectively. Beams 252 and 253 are arranged between the beams 238 and 239 in the same manner as the beams 232 and 233 are arranged in the lower rectangular framework. Similarly, vertical tubes 250 and 251 are disposed between the beams 229 and 239. The lower beams 228 and 229 are connected to the tubes 248, 249, 250 and 251 so that the load thereon may be taken up by the latticework beams 238 and 239 It will be seen that the span of the beam 228 is divided into three equal portions so that there is no great length of unsupported span, whereby the beam 228 may be of lighter construction than if the load of the whole span were taken up at the ends of the section. Similarly, the load on the beam 229 may be taken up by the latticework beam 239.

The load on the sections 209, 210 and 211 is taken up by the longer sides of the sections 206 and 208, so that the top beams 254 and 255 of the sections 206 and 208 are required to support a greater load than the corresponding beams of the sections in the first house, where all the sections were parallel to one another. The beams 254 and 255 are therefore of a heavier construction than that of, for example, the beam 31 of the first house. To accomplish this, beams 257 and 258 are arranged below and parallel to the beam 254, the space between the beams 257 and 258 and the beam 254 having arranged therein struts 262. The whole thus constitutes a composite latticework beam 256. The section 208 has a similar latticework but this is not shown in FIGURE 15 for the sake of clarity.

It should be noted that, for example in the house shown in FIGURE 4, the beam 38- which is located in a front wall, may be a self-supporting beam instead of being suspended from the beam 47 by the tube 51. In this case only the lower beams not incorporated in the front walls of the house would be suspended from the upper beams of the sections.

The tube 260 of the third house, shown in FIGURE 15, may be of heavier construction than the tube 36 of the section 1 of the first house. Also, the tubes 259 and 261 may also be heavier than the tubes 27 and 29, but in this case those vertical tubes of the sections 206, 207 and 208 which are not located beneath the ends of the sections 209, 210 and 211, may be lighter, and of smaller crosssection, than for example the tubes 28 and 30 of the first house.

The sections 206 to 211, like the sections 1 to 6, may be completely prefabricated in the workshop and fitted at the same time with windows, walls, doors and the like, so that on the building site of the house the sections need only be assembled together. The arrangement of the sections 209, 210 and 211 across the sections 206, 207 and 208, permit a more rigid structure of the house in many cases. The arrangement may also be advantageous for obtaining a desired disposition of rooms and spaces in the two stories of the house- A large part of the load on the sections 206, 207 and 208 is taken up by the beams at the ends of these sections, while the lower beams, for example the beams 263 and 264, at the ends of the sections transfer this load to the foundation. At the same time, the longitudinal beams 265 of the section 206 would of course, through the intermediary of the beam 260, carry a larger part of the load constituted by the second story, than the beam 21 of the first house. Thus all the lower beams in the outer walls of the house are load-carrying beams, so that the construction shown in FIGURES 15 to 17 may be used with advantage when such beams are all arranged on strong foundations, or on foundation beams.

The buildings illustrated are all arranged so that the sections constituting the upper story thereof are provided with supporting beams by which lower beams of such sections are suspended, so that such supporting beams carry at least part of the load of the lower beams. It will be appreciated that this construction could also be used for the sections constituting the first story of the house.

The constructions described above are preferably used for sections having longer sides which are at least twice as long as the shorter sides thereof. The length of a section is preferably greater than 300* centimeters and less than 1,000 centimeters, and the width is preferably greater than 100 centimeters and less than 300 centimeters.

Referring now to FIGURES 18 to 21, there is shown a pair of semi-detached houses assembled from sections similar to those last described above.

FIGURE 18 shows two adjacent houses 266 and 267. As shown in FIGURES 19 and 20, the ground floor of the house 267 is assembled from three adjacent sections 268, 269 and 270; the sections extending in side-by-side relationship along the length of the house, i.e. parallel to the front and back walls of the house. Above the sections 268, 269 and 270, three further sections 271, 272 and 273 are arranged so as to extend transversely to the lower sections and across the width of the house, i.e. parallel to the side walls. The house 266 is constructed in a similar manner, and both houses are assembled from the sections in the same way as the house shown in FIG- URE 15.

The upper sections 271, 272 and 273 have sloping roofs 274 and 275 which have projections 276 and 279, respectively. The eaves of the roofs 274 and 275 are joined with walls 278 and 279, respectively, which are of approximately the same height or less than the vertical distance 280 between the upper sides of the walls and the ridge of the roof. In the house shown, the walls 278 and 279 have a height which is of the distance 280. It is advantageous for ease of manufacture to arrange the upper sections as shown with their longitudinal directions extending along the width of the house from front to back. In this way a ceiling 281 may be provided in the upper sections 271, 272 and 273, this ceiling extending only over a relatively small distance between the sloping roofs 274 and 275, and not over the whole width of the house.

I claim:

1. A building having at least two stories, each of which comprises at least one room and is assembled from -a number of prefabricated, box-shaped sections ,one of which in a lower story comprises a stair; a section situated in a higher story just above said lower story having a staircase opening to cooperate with said stair; said section with the staircase opening having a passage communicating with the staircase opening, a bathroom and at least part of a bedroom; said section with the staircase opening being disposed between two further sections including a bedroom; said section with the staircase opening having Walls, a pair of said walls disposed on the opposite sides of said section contacting said further sections, and one of said walls being a wall of said bathroom and joining said other pair of walls, whereby said walls constitute separating walls between the passage and the bathroom in the respective section and the bedrooms in the two further sections.

2. A building as claimed in claim 1 wherein said section has longer and shorter sides in plan view, said section wtih the staircase opening having the staircase opening along one shorter side and the said bedroom along the other shorter side, said bathroom being situated between the said staircase opening and the said bedroom, the bathroom being situated along a longer side of said section.

3. A building as claimed in claim 1 having at least three stories, wherein said section with the staircase opening is provided with a stair situated above said staircase openmg.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,910,264 5/1933 Shanley 52236 X 1,995,573 3/1935 Mattews 5279 2,058,543 10/1936 Wooldridge 5279 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,244,983 1960 France.

JOHN E. MURTAUGH, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 52185, 236 

